Golf club with adjustably mounted sighting mirror



1965 v W.-A. SCHOEFFLER ETAL 3,170,698

GOLF CLUB WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED SIGHTING MIRROR Filed Oct. 13. 1961 William A. Schoeff/er Tony 5. Taarmina INVENTORs United States Patent 3,170,698 GOLF CLUB WITH ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED i SIGHTING ROR William A. Schoeflier, 4011 California Ave, Carmichael,

Calif., and Tony S. Taormina, 5020 73rd St., fiacramento, Calif.

Filed 0ct.'18, 1961, Ser. No.'145,919

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-163) This invention relates, generally speaking, to an improved putter for use by golfers and has reference, more particularly stated, to a putter the head of which is provided with a mirror or equivalent means through the medium of which the golfer may detect errors of judgment, observe orientation of the putter head relative to the ball at the moment of impact, may check his followthrough and, what is significantly important, the trajectory of the ball in relation to the cup, flag and green, and the putter itself.

Persons conversant with the underlying recommended principles of efficient putting and who are acquainted with the particular field of endeavor to which the invention pertains are aware that fault detecting and line-ofsight putters have been contrived and many of them patented. However, no attempt will be made here to elaborate on this aspect of-the overall matter other than to mention a typical patent, for example, a patent issued on January 6, 1920, to one Ruggles 1,327,171. This is pertinent to the instant matter only that it has to do with a reflecting mirror and means by which it is adjustably mounted on the club and positioned to be visible to the user and which is thought to be helpful in enabling the user of the club to more satisfactorily take his stance and address the ball :and, having satisfactorily focused on the intended path of movement of the ball, to practice and achieve better putting results.

The present invention involves What is believed to be an improved and a more efficient adaptation which is usable to achieve a more complete view, panoramic in scope, and to, at the same time, study and reflect on the scene at hand with a view toward reading the green and coordinating the relevant factors, whereby to assist the user in working out the overall problem to best advantage.

Briefly summarized, the invention compre-hends the adoption and use of a golf putter which embodies a shaft provided, as usual at the lower end with a conventional-type head, as distinguished from specially constructed patented heads, and in fact which is merely augmented taking into account prerequisite weight and 3,1705% Patented Feb. 23, 1965 "Ice f scribed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary portion of a golf green, the cup, stafi of the flag, golf ball, putter and the improved orienting mirror there on;

FIGURE 2 is a view on an enlarged scale which may be described as a top plan view and which shows one embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 3 is a View in side elevation of the assemblage depicted in FIGURE 1 but on a larger scale and which should assist in understanding the overall concept;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the assemblage seen in FIGURE =3;

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 7 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2. It is to be explained at the outset that it is within the purview of the invention to manufacture a putter with i the invention incorporated therein as a permanent part;

' 2 and 6 where a magnet is employed. The'other form other relevant factors. The head is provided with means i carried by a rearward side of the head and which enables the user to readily analyze and familiarize himself with the particular situation at hand. More specifically the means embodies a mirror or an equivalent reflector, the latter being adjustable on the :head and serving to afford the golfer a complete view, panoramic in coverage, whereby he may reflect on and coordinate the target on the green, position the ball relative thereto and properly locate and orient the head of the club relative to the ball.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment a bracket is hingedly mounted on the rear side of a median portion of the putter head either permanently or rem-ovably. The bracket is constructed to embody a socket. The mirror is provided on a lower attachable edge with a shank terminating in a ball and the ball is hingedly mounted in the socket to provide a universal or ball and socket joint. This construction, it is believed, will accomplish a highly improved result.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter deof the invention which will now be described is the more permanent one and it will be seen that the golf green or any equivalent surface is denoted by the numeral 8. The cup (not detailed) is denoted at 10 andthe staff of the usual insertible and removable flag at 12. As suggested the putter 14 comprises a shaft or handle 16 and i a conventional-type head 18. The conventional golf ball is designated at20. The face of the club (see FIG. 5) is denoted at 22 and the rear or follow-through side at 24 and it is in this side that a screw-threaded socket 26 is provided. The socket serves to accommodate a screwthreaded shank 28 which is provided with a ring-like or an equivalent head 30. Actually an eye screw may be employed here the eye being denoted at 30 and serving to accommodate an insertable and removable headed fastener or pivot bolt 32. The reflector or mirror is denoted at 34 and is a suitable rectangular-type. The face of the mirror is provided with a scale embodying graduations 36 the center one 38 being primarily referred to when orienting the coordinate factors necessary to achieving good endresults. It will be noted that the lower median edge portion of the mirror is provided with a stem 40 terminating in a ball jointing member 42 mounted between the semi-spherical halves or halfportions 44 and 46 which provide a socket. These components are at the lefthand end of the substantially channel-shaped bracket 48. The end portions of the side walls of the channel-shaped bracket denoted at 50 straddle the eye of the eye screw and they are hingedly joined thereto in the manner illustrated. It follows that a simple channel-shaped bracket is thus hingedly mounted on the rear median side of the putter head, is provided with socket means to accommodate the ball joint on the mirror, these parts being properly proportioned and oriented in the manner illustrated in the drawing.

There is very little difference in the construction of the modification depicted in FIGS. 2 and 6. Nevertheless it will be again explained that the mirror 52 is provided with a graduated scale 54 on the face of the mirror 56. The lower marginal edge has a shank 58 terminating in a ball jointing member 69 mounted in the socket made up of the components 62 on the end of the channel-shaped bracket 64. In this instance the walls 66 are separably and hingedly joined at 68 to a stud 7t project-ing laterally from a permanent magnet 72 which is attachable to the surface '74 of the putter head '76 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6.

It is evident from the line of sight shown in dash lines that the mirror-equipped putter is employed in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. Obviously after the user of the club takes the desired or recommended stance his objective, generally speaking, would be to handle the club head so that it would swing through an are, as usual, but with the lengthwise dimension or axis of the head at approximate right angles to the path of travel or trajectory of the golf ball. Obviously, by trial and error and repeated practice efiorts the improved club will enable the user todetect follow-through faults and errors, will enable him to check the moment of impact between the club head and ball and aided with the ability to completely view the scene as illustrated in the drawing, good results will be virtually assured.

Admittedly, many involved theories and diiferences of opinion as to the correct stance, manner of holding and handling the putter and all sorts of guides have been advanced to study putting and to correct putting faults by analysis and detection. However, it is believed that it is not necessary to dwell on these various points of view inasmuch as the invention resides in the structural adaptation herein shown and described.

It is further submitted that a careful consideration of the description in connection with the views of the drawing and claims will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the invention. Therefore, a more extended description is regarded as unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A golf putter embodying a shaft provided at the lower end thereof with a head having a forward ball driving surface, and means cooperable with the rear surface of said head enabling the user to analyze and familiarize himself with the particular putting situation at hand prior to making the contemplated puttt, said means embodying a downwardly inclined forwardly facing mirror having graduations on its viewable face, said graduations defining a range finding scale, said graduations embodying a principal graduation in alignment with a rear center point of said rear surface of said putter head, said mirror and all of its marginal edges being spaced rearwardly from said rear surface and serving to afford the user a panoramic view, whereby he may see the flag on the green and the position of the ball relative thereto, and consequently locate and orient the head of the club relative to the golf ball, and means mounting a median portion of the lower marginal edge only of said mirror on said rearward surface, said means bridging the space between said lower edge and rear surface and being spaced inwardly from the respective transverse ends of the head and mirror, respectively, and embodying a manually adjustable ball and socket joint, whereby the mirror may be universally adjusted relative to the putter head.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said mirror is approximately commensurate in size with the size of said putter head and wherein said mounting means embodies a bracket, said bracket being elongated and channel-shaped in cross-section, the forward end of said bracket being pivotally connected to the rear median portion of the rear surface of said head, the pivot point being horizontal and said bracket being capable of being adjusted up or down in a vertical plane relative to the horizontal axis of the pivot point, whereby said mirror and bracket may, as a unit, be adjusted conjointly relative to the putter head, and said mirror may be independently adjusted relative to said bracket by way of the aforementioned ball and socket joint.

3. In combination, a putter embodying a head having a handle, and a readily applicable attachment for the median portion of the rearward side of said putter head, said attachment being adapted to enable the user to find and determine upon a desired ball putting stance, said attachment comprising a generally rectangular reflecting mirror proportional in size and comparable in shape with said putter head and having an upwardly facing reflecting surface provided with spaced parallel graduations defining an orientation scale, the median central portion of the lower longitudinal edge portion of said mirror having a depending shank, said shank terminating at a lower end in a ball jointing member, an elongated adapter bracket interposed between the rearward side of said club head and lower edge portion of said mirror, said bracket being channel-shaped in cross-section and having a socket member at its rearward end, said ball jointing member being operatively mounted in said socket member, and means attaching the forward end of said bracket to the rearward central portion of said club head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,327,171 1/20 Ruggles 273-163 2,463,798 3/49 Paisley 273163 2,861,501 11/58 Strelakos 8897 2,923,552 2/60 Sundberg 273162 2,968,995 1/61 Holden 8897 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,834 1906 Great Britain. 1,157,934 1/58 France.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

EVON C. BLUNK, Examiner. 

1. A GOLF PUTTER EMBODYING A SHAFT PROVIDED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF WITH A HEAD HAVING A FORWARD BALL DRIVING SURFACE, AND MEANS COOPERABLE WITH THE REAR SURFACE OF SAID HEAD ENABLING THE USER TO ANALYZE AND FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH THE PARTICULAR PUTTING SITUATION AT HAND PRIOR TO MAKING THE CONTEMPLATED PUTT, SAID MEANS EMBODYING A DOWNWARDLY INCLINED FORWARDLY FACING MIRROR HAVING GRADUATIONS ON ITS VIEWABLE FACE, SAID GRADUATIONS DEFINING A RANGE FINDING SCALE, SAID GRADUATIONS EMBODYING A PRINCIPAL GRADUATION IN ALIGNMENT WITH A REAR CENTER POINT OF SAID REAR SURFACE OF SAID PUTTER HEAD, SAID MIRROR AND ALL OF ITS MARGINAL EDGES BEING SPACED REARWARDLY FROM SAID REAR SURFACE AND SERVING TO AFFORD THE USER A PANORAMIC VIEW, WHEREBY HE MAY SEE THE FLAG ON THE GREEN AND THE POSITION OF THE BALL RELATIVE THERETO, AND CONSEQUENTLY LOCATE AND ORIENT THE HEAD OF THE CLUB RELATIVE TO THE GOLF BALL, AND MEANS MOUNTING A MEDIAN PORTION OF THE LOWER MARGINAL EDGE ONLY OF SAID MIRROR ON SAID REARWARD SURFACE, SAID MEANS BRIDGING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID LOWER EDGE AND REAR SURFACE AND BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE RESPECTIVE TRANSVERSE ENDS OF THE HEAD AND MIRROR, RESPECTIVELY, AND EMBODYING A MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE BALL AND SOCKET JOINT, WHEREBY THE MIRROR MAY BE UNIVERSALLY ADJUSTED RELATIVE TO THE PUTTER HEAD. 